Abigail Ruhman

The Texas Department of State Health Services is requesting $230 million in additional funding from state lawmakers to support local health departments, maintain critical programs and handle new responsibilities. On Friday, the agency presented its budget request ahead of the 2027 legislative session.

Texas Health and Human Services is asking the state Legislature for the funding to make more than 600 temporary eligibility worker positions into permanent jobs. The ask comes as Texas' backlog of Medicaid and Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, applications continues to grow.

A Parkland Health study could help address a common but life-threatening pregnancy complication. Researchers found universally prescribed aspirin led to a significant decrease in severe preeclampsia — one of the leading causes of infant and maternal mortality in the U.S. and globally.

Data shared by the state during stakeholder meetings reveals Texas’ backlog of Medicaid applications grew by more than 209,000 between January and August – while the backlog for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, grew by more than 146,000. Advocates and state officials said new SNAP accuracy requirements might be the cause.

UNT Health Fort Worth earlier this month celebrated its first class of nursing graduates. Among them were two siblings with a family connection to nursing and a personal mission to make healthcare more accessible.

Health officials confirmed a Dallas County resident visited three North Texas locations — one in Allen, one in Fairview and one in Frisco — while infectious. Public health leaders are urging people who were there during the potential windows of infection risk to monitor for symptoms.

A new residential treatment center in North Texas serving foster youth will start accepting patients next month. The Terrell Center for Youth will serve up to 30 kids between 13 and 17 years old.

A multistate surrogacy controversy — involving Alaska, California and Texas — could have far-reaching implications. One medical ethics expert said the case highlights the flaws and weaknesses around surrogacy agreements that pose dozens of unanswered questions.

The case involves a Dallas resident in their early 50s who developed the more serious, but rarer, neuroinvasive infection. County health officials are urging residents to take precautions.

As millions of students across the state prepare to head back to school, North Texas health leaders want parents to check that their children are up to date on vaccinations. One health leader said it's especially important right now as the U.S. experiences its highest number of measles cases in 30 years.

Six months after the Texas Education Agency determined a North Texas school district needed to provide a student with residential placement to address his behavior and educational needs, the family is still waiting. Lawyers and advocates warn Kelton Lightfoot's case could weaken an official complaint process meant for students with disabilities and have far-reaching implications for accessible education in Texas.

Unused or expired medications can pose a potential hazard to people and the environment. A KERA listener wants to know how to properly dispose of medications.